Canterbury’s total dominance of the second half, starting with a burst of three tries in the opening ten minutes, effectively killed this final pre-season warm up as a contest.
They were just five points in front at the break, thanks to a late try gifted to Guy Hilton, and were made to work hard by a ‘Combe side that was dangerous on the counter and shirked nothing in defence.
But on a warm afternoon ‘Combe lost energy, but never their determination, against a city side that sharpened up considerably once they had the advantage of a sloping pitch.
Six of their nine tries came in that second period and the final touchdown by Frankie Morgan, converted by Tom Best, took them through the 50-point mark.
With both squads missing a number of senior players it was an opportunity to give game time to some young pretenders and Canterbury Head Coach Andy Pratt will have been pleased with that. With the opening league game looming next Saturday he will have been weighing his selection options carefully.
The city side made a positive start as they controlled the first quarter and took the lead with a Kieran Thompson try. But as the half progressed too many errors crept in and ‘Combe exploited them. Two tries, one converted, won them the lead before Sam Rogers eventually pulled one back from a catch and drive. It took a wild pass in the final minute to present Hilton with the try, converted by Ollie Best, that edged Canterbury ahead
However, when the game restarted it quickly became a one-way street as a powerful city pack took control, gaps opened up and the back division functioned more efficiently. Piers Richardson (2) and Harry Sayers, scored in that early burst to be followed by Ollie Best, who added his second conversion, and new boy Jake Rigby. Morgan finished off the rout close to the final whistle.
Canterbury squad: P.Richardson, G.Hilton, H.Sayers, W.Farris, K.Thompson, K.Braithwaite, O.Best, J.Green, E.Deacon, S.Kenny, M.Corker, L.Whetton, S.Rogers, J.Rigby, M.Cantwell, T.Best, F.Morgan, R.Howard, R.Cadman , A.Cooper, S.Jaynes.